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ABSTRACT Deep-sea sediments become apparently more hostile to life with increasing depth as temperature and pressure rise, and organic matter becomes increasingly recalcitrant.

Demonstrations of high bacterial populations in deep sediments1,2 may thus appear enigmatic. How, then, can the continued presence of active bacterial populations in deep sediments that are

over 10 million years old be explained? Although volatile fatty acids, particularly acetate, are important intermediates in the anaerobic degradation of organic matter3,4, their

concentrations are kept very low in sediments (<15 µM) by rapid bacterial consumption5,6. Here we show that heating surface coastal marine sediments to simulate increasing temperature

during burial produces an increase of over three orders of magnitude in acetate concentration and increases bacterial activity. We found that pore-water acetate concentration at two sites in

the Atlantic Ocean increased at depths below about 150 m and was associated with a significant stimulation in bacterial activity. Comparing these acetate concentrations to _in situ_

temperatures confirmed that there was a notable generation of acetate associated with temperature increases during burial. This was supported by heating experiments with deep sediments.

Thus, acetate generation from organic matter during burial may explain the presence of a deep bacterial biosphere in marine sediments, and could underpin an even deeper and hotter biosphere

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Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS END-PERMIAN MARINE EXTINCTION DUE TO TEMPERATURE-DRIVEN NUTRIENT RECYCLING AND EUXINIA Article 28 October 2021

HADAL TRENCHES ARE DYNAMIC HOTSPOTS FOR EARLY DIAGENESIS IN THE DEEP SEA Article Open access 29 January 2021 INACTIVE HYDROTHERMAL VENT MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO

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marine pore water. _Mar. Biol._ 77, 113–118 (1983). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank ODP for allowing us to obtain samples on Leg 164; T. Woodward

and I. Mather for their assistance with sample collection and initial handling in the laboratory; J. Maxwell, E. Shock and J. Whelan for comments on the original manuscript; P. Egeberg for

facilitating analysis of Site 997; M. Isaksen for details of the thermal gradient system, and F. Wheeler for its construction. This work was funded by the European Union Environment

Programme and the Natural Environment Research Council (UK). AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Geology, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road,

BS8 1RJ, Bristol, UK Peter Wellsbury, Kim Goodman, Barry A. Cragg, Stephen P. Barnes & R. John Parkes * Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Allegt, 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway

Tanja Barth Authors * Peter Wellsbury View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Kim Goodman View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Tanja Barth View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Barry A. Cragg View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Stephen P. Barnes View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * R. John Parkes View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to R. John Parkes. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS

ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Wellsbury, P., Goodman, K., Barth, T. _et al._ Deep marine biosphere fuelled by increasing organic matter availability during burial and heating. _Nature_ 388,

573–576 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/41544 Download citation * Received: 19 May 1997 * Accepted: 19 June 1997 * Issue Date: 07 August 1997 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/41544 SHARE THIS

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